


For You

by icyvanity



Category: All For the Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Established Relationship, Hospitals, M/M, Stabbing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-25
Updated: 2016-05-25
Packaged: 2018-06-10 14:36:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 685
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6960979
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/icyvanity/pseuds/icyvanity
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Neil cut him off angrily, “You getting stabbed and knocked out after a game might have given them reason to let me drop everything and come here.”<br/>“It could be worse,” Andrew said, rolling his eyes.</p>
            </blockquote>





	For You

**Author's Note:**

> "It could be worse." (prompted by anonymous)

“Minyard. There’s—uh—there’s a Neil Josten here to see you,” Andrew’s coach said warily from the doorway of Andrew’s hospital room. “Do you want me to let him come up?”

His coach was new to the professional leagues; but even so, he should have known who Neil Josten was—it was practically a household name by this point.

Andrew frowned; Neil had been in Arizona that morning, recovering from a game the night before, so he shouldn’t even be in Boston. How he’d managed to find a flight in the three hours since Andrew’s attack was mind-boggling, but Andrew knew better than to question Neil Josten on a mission.

“Let him in,” Andrew said, struggling to sit up once his coach left. He hissed as the movement pulled at his stitches, pressing a hand to his head to quiet his pounding headache.

“Andrew.”

He opened his eyes—he hadn’t even realized they’d fallen closed against the pain—to see Neil standing at the foot of his bed. His eyes were unnaturally bright and watery, and he gripped the plastic footboard until it creaked.

“What are you doing here?” Andrew asked, dropping his hands to his lap.

Neil narrowed his eyes at him. “Don’t be an idiot,” he replied.

“Don’t you have a game tomorrow? Why’d they even let you—”

Neil cut him off angrily, “You getting stabbed and knocked out after a game might have given them reason to let me drop everything and come here.”

“It could be worse,” Andrew said, rolling his eyes.

“Believe me, I know.” Andrew met his eyes then; of course he remembered the recounting of Baltimore and the years on the run before. Both of them had seen worse, and they knew it would find them again someday.

“You have a contract, junkie.”

They both knew he didn’t mean Neil’s contract with the Chicago Storms; he’d made another a long time ago, and he was in it for life.

Neil sat down on the edge of the bed. “He already called,” he said. “He knows I won’t be playing at my best if I’m worrying about you. He gave me permission to take time off to be with you.”

“You’re overreacting,” Andrew said.

“If someone hadn’t stopped him, he could have killed you,” Neil said, blinking rapidly; his voice sounded tight and Andrew hated it. He hated that Neil cared about him to the point where Andrew’s injuries hurt him as well, and he hated that he would be frantic if something like this happened to Neil. That much had already been proven when Neil was taken to Baltimore. Andrew didn’t know what Neil getting injured would do to him _now_ , but he couldn’t imagine it being good.

“Alas, I’m still breathing,” Andrew replied.

Neil’s hand was hovering above the bandages; Andrew nodded and he pressed down on the wound.

“Barely,” Neil remarked, removing his hand at Andrew’s shaky intake of breath. Andrew glared at him, gripping his hand as Neil made to move away. He could feel the exy-induced callouses against his own, and Neil’s eyes were steady despite the look in his eyes. Neil pulled their hands toward him, pressing kisses against each of Andrew’s knuckles, and ignoring his raised brows.

“When they release you tomorrow, we’re going to get on a train to Columbia, and we’re going to stay there for a month.”

“A month,” Andrew repeated; Neil nodded. “How are you going to survive without your precious exy for a month?”

“It’s early in the season—they’ll be fine without me for a month.” He paused before adding, “Even if it was longer than that, or in the middle of playoffs; I would still be here with you.”

Andrew felt a tightening in his chest that had nothing to do with his seventeen stitches. He hated the effect Neil’s words could have on him, but he knew his own forced stoicism was enough to bring a smile to Neil’s scarred face.

“ _Please_ , you junkie. You won’t last two days.”

Neil smiled, just as Andrew had expected, his eyes crinkling at the bet. “You’re on.”

**Author's Note:**

> [read on tumblr](http://lady-gryffindor.tumblr.com/post/144891142463/16-for-the-andriel-prompts-omg)


End file.
